Monday, August 25, 2014

When I saw these over at Necessary Indulgences, I thought... 'OMG. must make these stat.' So there you have it. The result, epically delicious. bamm! and le bammerific. I recommend you go out to the store tonight and buy the necessary ingredients stat!

Quick PSA: wear gloves when you chop jalapenos. So you can look fancy like me, also the capsaicin oil in the peppers will burn the crap out of your hands.

Here's some of what you'll be needing:

Goat Cheese OR Cream cheese. I used both because children are picky. Pepper Jack Cheese, and THICK Sliced bacon. Way easier to wrap with. FYI.

All wrapped up in pretty bacon and ready for the grill.

Soak plenty of toothpicks so they don't burn on the grill.

Ingredients: Jalapenos approximately 3-4About 3-4 chicken breasts or thighs. (I used breast)One block of Pepper Jack cheese. One block of softened cream cheese OR Soft goat cheese ( I used both, because my children can be finicky, also goat cheese is a bit pricey. But I would make sure you have at least 8 ounces of the cheese if that is all you're going to use rather than cream cheese. ) 1 Jar of Sticky Fingers Sweet Carolina BBQ sauce. ToothpicksTHICK Cut bacon. Trust me... get the thick cut, way easier to roll the chicken with. Oil for the grill and a brush. Directions:

1. Wash then cut your peppers into halves and remove all the seeds.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together softened cream cheese or goat cheese. Using a cheese grater, shred the block of Pepper Jack cheese and mix it into the cream cheese or goat cheese. 3. Since I used breast rather than thighs, I butterflied my chicken. Also, I used a mallet and flattened it a bit. Not TOO Thin though otherwise it won't wrap anything well. 4. I added Adobo, Basil, Oregano, Pepper and Parsley to the chicken. You may season as you wish. 5. Take the halved jalapeno and fill it with the cheese mixture, Place it into the center of a piece of chicken and then using several toothpicks seal the chicken. I used the bacon to help "seal in" the cheese. Because I will be honest, I used heaps of this cheese mixture to the point it was over flowing the pepper. :) 6. Wrap the bacon strategically around the cheesy chicken ball. (I'm kidding, there's no strategy) Cook these on the grill at approximately 350 degrees or a medium heat setting... for approximately 35-40 minutes. (Oil the grill first, and using your brush... brush with BBQ sauce while cooking)7. eat. devour. conquer said food. and so it tis'. happy end of summer days, tomato friends. enjoy. see you this fall... i shall post some more yumminess soon...

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Ok so I whipped this together for a comedy benefit type of event and threw both batches into paper bags and tied them up, Martha Stewart style... bamm. Le bammero. I doubled the recipe listed below.here's that recipe, it's super easy. Oh and addictive. there were no survivors.Ingredients:

Directions:1. Pop popcorn in a large kettle with vegetable oil. Once the popcorn is popped pour it onto a large bowl for mixing. 2. While your popcorn is popping place your shredded coconut onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. This will nicely toast your coconut, but watch for over browning, it cooks very quickly. Once the coconut is browned, pour it into the bowl of popcorn. 3. Pour the sugar, salt, mini marshmallows and pecans (optional) into the bowl with the coconut and popcorn mixture. Stir well. 4. Once all the ingredients are completely mixed together, pour them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread them evenly.5. Now place your semi sweet chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and melt them at 30 second intervals. I do 60 seconds on HALF the power, then stir, then additional 30 to 15 second intervals on HIGH. Until the chocolate is nice and smooth. Be careful to handle your bowl with a pot holder when you stir the chocolate. Now in order for the chocolate to be nice and smooth (I find it is kind of thick), use about a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil to thin it out. It drizzles better. Add the teaspoon and stir, to see if it's the consistency you like. 6. Once the chocolate is the consistency you like, I use a wire whisk, dip it in the chocolate and drizzle it over the popcorn. Then place the trays of popcorn into the freezer or the fridge for about 20 to 30 minutes then serve immediately or store in air tight container for up to thirty days. happy eats tomato friends :)

1. Melt the two tablespoons of butter and add it to the crockpot. Add the olive oil, honey, garlic, soy fsauce and ketchup. Stir well. 2. Pour in the frozen meatballs and stir them in the sauce until completely covered. Turn the crockpot on high and cook for approximately 3-4 hours.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Oh hey, so it's September and you know what that means? Yep, apple season is upon us, which brings: apple picking, apple pie, apple cobbler, candy apples... well, you get it, apples everywhere!

As if fall were not epic enough with its crisp morning air, its sunny afternoons and rich comfort foods; I then discovered this amazing recipe over at Inspired by Charm. A blog by Michael Worm, Jr. I have to say, I just adore his blog. He has the greatest recipes, DIY projects, decorating, etc... The master of all that is, well, charming. He is just utterly heartable.

Also, in the Pinterest world, well, let's just say he's what Justin Bieber is to the Twitter world. Only far more inspiring. ::ahem:: the.most.adorable.pins. Trust.

So when I saw this recipe on his blog, I thought: " Holy good God.. no he didn't!" ::insert gyrating head motion and rapid finger snaps::

Off to the packie I went and here we are! I had company over this weekend, and provided a double batch of said awesome sauce. Needless to say, there's nary a drop to be had. Only some very sad, very lonely grapes and cinnamon sticks wallowing in shallow pool of dismal alcohol poisoning; at the bottom of my fancy Wal-mart glass dispenser.

4 Apples Cubed (i used my dollar store mandolin. made thin slices. mostly due to laziness. and four demanding children.)

4 Pears Cubed (this i did. only i cheated and used a french fry cutter, which proved to be interesting but did the trick and then i cut horizontally. tadahhh! cubes.)

8-10 Cinnamon sticks

1 1/2 Cups Cinnamon Simple Syrup, how to make the syrup (do not skip step):

Bring 1 cup of sugar, 2 cups of water and a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to a simmer over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Takes about 10 minutes till it thickens to a syrup like mixture. Allow the syrup to completely cool before adding to the mix.

Mix all the above ingredients together and allow to refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I tried a glass the night I made this, but it was even better the following night. Once it sits overnight it just tastes a little better.

Friday, July 26, 2013

There are so many things i want to say about these muffins. First and foremost... duh, they are frickin' delicious. The entire stick of butter may have something to do with that. Seriously, it aint right, people.

Also, these muffins bring me back to the days of ole; literal translation.... I'm a child of the 80's. Which means I was born in the 70's and was actually lucid through the days of leg warmers, Pudding Pops, Michael Jackson's infamous glove and his ill fated head burning incident.

And of course these delicious muffins were a wondrous perk while out shopping at Jordan Marsh for the ever fashionable sweater dress. Remember these ladies?

Oh you think you're fancy, huh? You fancy... so bad. ::ugh:: yeah, bad. what were we thinking, folks?

work it gurrl.

Other fuzzy memories of my days spent careening through Max Headroom commercials, Run DMC music videos while bustin' out break dancing moves on my mother's linoleum floor include the following:

My brother pulling my Barbie Doll's limbs apart shortly after I received her as a gift. Namely Malibu Barbie... Even as a girl I was an Estrogen Warrior. Hence I did not forgot... since we DON'T forget sh*t EVER. Can I get an Amen, ladies?

Which brings me to:

Teddy Ruxpin. When Teddy Ruxpin came out, I was a little too old for his creepy tale spinning "whimsy" of sorts. Circling back to the Barbie incident of 83', as I've already stated I did not forget. Moments after my brother opened this Christmas morning, once he had safely exited the room.... I plotted my evil revenge. I rammed my pinky finger deep into its plushy mouth as he spun the tales of tender soft pawed creatures of the forest. To make a long story short... I destroyed the mechanism which made the toy's mouth work. Shortest working Teddy Ruxpin in the history of the world, people. Seriously, this gift wasn't unwrapped for more than an hour. Moral of the story: never mess with a lady and her toys.

Remember these?

Jelly Rings? Also we had Jelly Bracelets, Jelly shoes, Jelly on yo' toast. Jelly everywhere! I fondly remember these suckers... the rings. Only because my cousin, who teased the crap out of me (and I also teased her - lest we fool no one here). My cousin rammed one too many of these on her ring finger while she was out shopping with me and my mom. This legit turned her whole finger purple. This is when my neurotic Italian mother went into full melt down mode. I busted a gut laughing because, well... that sh*t was funny. She was fine, her Vienna sausage like finger as well. Aside from my mother's completely irrational panic attack when she practically man handled a store clerk for a pair of scissors to break her pudgy finger free from the shackles of neon plastic. epic I tell you.

And who can forget these guys, while listening to them on a TAPE DECK, out on the trails, with friends. ::ahem:: just to name a few:

Clearly, I could go on for days about this decade, but let's get to that recipe shall we? Adapted from Cooks.com

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In your mixer, on a low speed, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

2. Stir together dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then gradually add to the butter sugar mix, alternately with milk.

3. Line your muffin pan with liners or grease your muffin pan. Fill each muffin tin about 1/4 full then put a small handful of blueberries on top of the batter and then cover the blueberries with batter till the tin is full. (This ensures the blueberries don't sink to the bottom).

4. Once each muffin tin is full, sprinkle the tops with a little bit of sugar. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, watch for over browning.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Oh hey, i've been away far too long. I've had so much going on, it would make your head spin... since i'm amazed mine has not imploded. legit insanity. I apologize for not getting back to some of you right away. I'm still alive, just wow.... busy living.

I am still working on my book. I broke the 200 page mark. So I'm almost there.

I had another kid. A boy. I also decided not to do that anymore, so immediately thereafter I had the ol' tubes tied. best. decision. ever. I mean, i love my kids and all....but certain birth control methods are the pits. feel what I'm laying down? ::ahem::

now let's get at that bread. shall we?- the bread is adapted from One more Moore. The dip, that's my lil' creation. hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 Tblspns sugar
2 Tblspns butter (melted)
3 Tspns salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tblspns rapid rise yeast
5 cups of flour (+ or -)
1 egg white + 1 Tblspn of water
Parmesan cheese & dried rosemary for sprinkling.Directions:
1. Place the water, sugar, salt and yeast in a stand up mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix well until the yeast is bubbly and completely dissolved. I usually let it sit for a minute or two.

2. Then add the melted butter and begin to add the flour in small batches. I find that I use closer to 4 cups for two loaves and 2 cups for one loaf, but slowly add the flour to make sure it is not too dry or too wet. It should pull apart nicely from the side of the bowl.

3. Remove the dough and place it in a greased bowl and let it rise until it's doubled in size. Punch down the dough then divide it into two equal rounds and place on greased cookie sheets. (they rise to be relatively large).

4. Cut decorative slits on the top. Then let the dough rise again for about half an hour.

5. Rub an egg wash (1 egg white and 1 tblspn of water ) over the top of the bread and then sprinkle with salt, dried rosemary and parmesan.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, then for about 5-7 minutes cover the bread with foil to prevent over browning. I lightly press on the top of the bread. If it springs back quickly it's done. Not an exact science but that's my thing.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Oh hi! So I've been super busy with a few things these days.... Finishing up with my writing (my book that is), tending to the brood, being wicked lazy out of my mind busy. Oh and cooking a new baby. Yeah and then there's that! I'm almost five months pregnant, kinda big news. My bad, so so busy with appointments etc... a toddler... yada yada, life it gets in the way of all the fun stuff, dagnabbit!! I'm over thirty five so my doctors have me doing all kinds of tests the young uns don't have to go through ::sigh:: Advanced Maternal Age. {sounds like I'm wicked old. I don't feel old??} Meh...

This Friday is the big ultrasound when we find out the gender! ::eeeeeeeee:: I am hoping for a girl, since I have three boys and if I don't get a whole bunch of pink dust sprinkled my way... this will be my last shot at a little girl. Of course, I will be estatic with a boy, but Oh how I would love to shop down the pink aisles at Babies R' Us and Target oh and buy Princess outfits! My family has ALL boys, this will be the seventh grandson on my side {that's if it's a boy}. My husband has two super adorb nieces.... lucky. So to all my readers, sprinkle me with tons of pink dust please!!! ty~

I don't know about you guys, but I love love love this time of year!!! I love Halloween, so much fun! Comfort food is awesome, apple picking is a blast {well, for me. my boys think it's lame. so does my husband. i make him stifle and deal}. Scary movies are the bomb, although I'm nearly certain the fetus doesn't appreciate it, since I jump out of my skin. TV is bearable again in the fall!! Yah for non crappy TV! Hoodies and sweatpants to wear, which is good after those comfort meals. Also, I am thankful for being pregnant in the fall/winter this time around, rather than the summer. Not fun at all. Being pregnant in the summer is grounds for justifiable homicide. seriously. So yep I'm due in March, the 15th. Last time I delivered two weeks early... but I'm a patient lady.

Oh and we had our yearly family photos done last week. I will post a few under my about me section, since I've been uber lazy about updating. Click Here: to see my new "About Me" section. For now... here's a lil' preview:

Left to Right, Myles, Jim @ Jameson, Moi & Cob

So how bout them yummo bars?? I thought you'd never ask... ::ahem:: i will give you fair warning, they are super evil! So very very apropos for the upcoming holiday. Scary good!!! boo.

2 cups of Caramel Apple Milky Way Candy Bars (you can use the regular Milky Way if you cannot find Caramel Apple flavor)

Cheesecake Layer:

1 pkg. cream cheese (8 ounces)

1/2 cup of sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup of caramel ice cream topping

2 Tblspns of Flour

Topping:

4 ounces of caramel candies (about 14 squares)

4 Tblspns of heavy cream

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/2 tsp. shortening

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter, shortening, sour cream and sugars until creamy. Then add in the eggs and vanilla.

2. Sift together the flour, crumbs, baking soda, and salt and then slowly add in the candies by hand.

3. Press HALF of the mixture into a greased 8 inch pan.

4. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together until creamy and then add in the egg and caramel ice cream topping and beat again. Stir in the flour and then pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the cookie dough in the pan.

5. Take the other Half of the left over cookie mixture and gently drop the rest of the dough by the spoonfuls on top of the cream cheese layer.

6. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool completely before adding the toppings. (also watch the color on the top of the bars... toward the end I added a little tin foil to avoid over browning)

7. While the bars are cooling, place the caramels and the heavy cream in a small saucepan. Heat and stir until melted and creamy. In a microwave safe bowl, place the chocolate chips and shortening. Heat the chocolate for a full minute at HALF the power, then stir. After the minute heat at 20 second intervals, stirring each time until smooth. Drizzle the caramel and chocolate over the top of the bars after they are cooled.